equitable way to purchase and/or share implements with neighbor

[barndoor]

my good friend/neighbor and I both have or will soon have new Kubotas (LX and an L). I know there are certainly some pitfalls, but I'm wondering what a fair and equitable way to purchase/borrow implements together? On the surface this sounds great. We both want a wood chipper, or flail mower, and paying half sound great. Maintenance can be shared, and for the most part these implements we would share would rarely get used anyway. The pitfalls probably begin when one of us breaks something. I'm interested to hear if you loan or borrow implements (not tractors) and what agreements can be made to keep everyone happy.

 

[thirdroc17]

I don't. Wish you good luck if you proceed.

 

[JimmyJazz]

I quit loaning things to people years ago. Many people are irresponsible in my opinion. There is a reason the saying "Good fences make good neighbors" has withstood the test of time. I just payed $250 to have a stump the size of a car ground. It took 4 guys close to an hour between the grinding and shoveling of chips into garbage cans and then into their truck. I consider it money well spent. I think you would need to have an awful lot of stumps to grind to justify the purchase. Now a chainsaw ,thats a different story. I love my chainsaws. Good luck to you.

 

[bcp]

From the many bad sharing stories I've read, I think the only workable arrangement is to only share with someone you are married to.

Bruce

 

[forky]

Bad Idea and won't work out well for either of you because of it not being returned like it left. I take good care of my equipment and know other folks could care less....I suppose you have the best neighbor, and it will remain that way if you don't share your stuff. It could get ugly.

 

[ctfjr]

Many years ago a friend of mine was a professional photographer. He got a gig shooting the Jets / Giants game at Yale Bowl. He asked to borrow a long lens of mine and in return if I needed any lenses he
had . . .
Short story, lens came back with a dent in it. Still worked but it had a freakin dent in the big end. I got an estimate from Nikon to repair. My friend didn't want to hear about it. Cheap life lesson.

 

[JustinB60]

I would not go halfsies with a neighbor or even a trusted friend, but I do know how my buddies treat their stuff so I would trust some of them to borrow implements but never my tractor. If you know this guy is as meticulous/careful with stuff as you then maybe you guys each buy the stuff you absolutely need for your priority and let each other borrow an item or two. For example you buy the mower and he buys the chipper then just allow each other to come grab them when needed. Reason I like that more is if something goes bad you just stop lending things out and nobody has half their money tied up into something sitting at someone else’s house.

 

[Tire Biter]

I have a few stories I could blather on about tool and equipment loaning/borrowing, etc., gone bad, so I‘ll tell you a better idea is to each buy different attachments and implements and trade the work back and forth.

 

[greg86z28]

I have a few stories I could blather on about tool and equipment loaning/borrowing, etc., gone bad, so I‘ll tell you a better idea is to each buy different attachments and implements and trade the work back and forth.

This.

I wouldn’t co-own or loan stuff.

You could each buy different implements and then do projects together when either guy needs something.

 

[D2Cat]

When sharing things the problems arise when one uses an item more then the other. That is why rental yards change by the hour. You use it more, you pay more.

 

[S-G-R]

I have a few stories I could blather on about tool and equipment loaning/borrowing, etc., gone bad, so I‘ll tell you a better idea is to each buy different attachments and implements and trade the work back and forth.

This is the approach my friend and I use and it has worked well.

 

[barndoor]

solid advice. I like each buying implements and borrowing on occasion. I already loan him my log splitter, and once a hydraulic hose blew and he didn't say a word. Just returned it when he was done and EVERY hydraulic hose was replaced with new, new fluid, filter, etc. Unnecessary for sure, but it's what I would have done, so we are of a like mind.

 

[JustinB60]

solid advice. I like each buying implements and borrowing on occasion. I already loan him my log splitter, and once a hydraulic hose blew and he didn't say a word. Just returned it when he was done and EVERY hydraulic hose was replaced with new, new fluid, filter, etc. Unnecessary for sure, but it's what I would have done, so we are of a like mind.

It all comes down to your experience and your gut feel in my opinion. Some neighbors/friends are better than others and everyone’s experiences on this sort of thing will be different. For example my neighbors at my first house I would trust with my life, the neighbors I have at my current house I wouldn’t loan anything to nor fully trust.

 

[69 SS]

My neighbors wife has keys to everything we own, tractor included. We all laugh when they borrow/ return stuff and I don't even notice. We trade work back and forth. Don't know why but it seemed everytime they borrow the Ford 1710 it blows a FEL hose,they fix it,we share a 1 mile long private driveway,and some body is always working on it. I wish everybody had neighbor like this. Spotted the old Chevy farm truck the other day and she was driving it to get a load of gravel for the driveway. They are 10 yrs younger than us. Special people. Just had to post on this topic. BTW they have a small Cub Cadet tractor.

 

[Carl in France]

I wouldn't.
A good friend loaned me his mini digger, by the time i had done the job i had fully serviced it replaced a track and mended various parts it would have been cheaper to hire one. This from a friend who expressed suprise saying it was in excellent order and always well serviced. The fuel filter was black and looked like an hour glass it was sucking so hard to get just a drop through.
Loaning and borrowing tools rarely goes well. For peace of mind it may be better to just use your own gear.

 

[bambam31]

I keep a pad lock on the pins of all my implements to prevent my brothers and others in the camp from using my equipment. It’s amazing that some people think a 5’ bush hogs was designed to chop down 4” trees. Been there and won’t be back. It cost me more to acquire my own stuff but I’m much happier.

 

[NCL4701]

I co-own one implement, the WC-68 chipper, with my brother who lives an hour and a half from me.

My father and I live beside each other. I bought the Kubota and a few implements for the FEL when he and I started really jointly maintaining the entirety of the property. Deal with him is he can use my stuff like it’s his so long as I can do the same with his 3 point implements, chainsaws, and a short list of other stuff. Keeps us from buying two of everything. Things we both might commonly use are in one or the other of two buildings we both have access to. I don’t co-own anything with my father.

It works for us I think mostly because we all three owned a business together for several years (sold it a few years ago) so we were already pretty well used to dealing with business/money issues. And we’re family, which could be a plus or minus, but 100% love my brother and Dad; know them both VERY well; not kicking either to the curb over a piece of equipment.

Point of all that:
1) I’m fine with co-owning an implement with my brother that neither of us uses constantly and when we do, it’s never an emergency. I also know if somehow I got screwed out of the entire value of the implement it wouldn’t really impact the relationship. Pretty confident either of us would rather fix or replace the whole thing as opposed to returning it broken.

2) I co-own NOTHING with my father. Never have, never will. He retains the option to stop my access to his stuff at any time for any or no reason and I retain the same right over all my stuff. I don’t think that would ever happen, but just a different relationship. We also have a LOT more than one implement involved.

Not sure there is one and only one right answer. With a neighbor, I would probably either not do it or go with the model of each fully owns a list of implements and you share use of implements but not ownership. That model makes it much easier to separate if one of you moves, dies, or it just isn’t working out. Even with that I’d want to have a serious discussion about who pays for MRO on them in whatever scenario to make sure both are on the same page. Only way I’d co-own with a neighbor would be we set up an business of some sort, business owns the stuff, and we own the business.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

It'l be a 'roll of the dice' as they say.
Went to borrow friends coowned concrete mixer(his BIL was the other partner). It took me a DAY to chip out the 'leftover' concrete and then repair the mixer BEFORE I could use it. His BIL had left mixer 1/4 full of crete......2 weeks eariler,from the FIRST use of the mixer.....

I've still got my chainsaw to fix from when a 'contractor' borrowed it to cut the old deck apart here. He'llll NEVER ever owed up to the fact HE broke it.....

Now IF the other person CAN fix whatever breaks on his watch, or PAY for the reapir...then maybe it's 'ok'

 

[old and tired]

...I'm interested to hear if you loan or borrow implements (not tractors) and what agreements can be made to keep everyone happy...

There isn't any "agreement" that would keep everyone happy.

I would say, you buy what you need and the other neighbor buys what he needs... Me and a friend borrow each other's stuff... in fact, he kept my tiller and I've kept his plow. (My tractor has weak PTO Cams so not worth the risk running it...) and he hasn't use his plow (for many years...)

If something breaks when either is using, it gets fixed...

I did have to borrow a trailer and tractor at work... the guy was horrible at maintenance. Bearings went out on the trailer and he blamed ME (??). We got it fixed on our dime...

 

[forky]

One more thing on the shared equipment. Some pieces are used alot more than others....if you own the most used piece of equipment, his stays like new and yours becomes worn out. Just a thought.